Monthly Archives: June 2016

So exam season has come to an end, and everyone can finally breathe a huge sigh of relief (say it with us: ‘ahhhhhhhhhh’).

It’s not just the kids who feel the pressure during exam time; in fact, mums and dads often feel more anxious than the children themselves, and the atmosphere at home can become tense, having a knock-on effect on siblings too!

Now that your child doesn’t have to spend all their time shut in their room revising, it’s important to spend some time re-connecting as a family – and of course, you’ll want to celebrate their job well done. We’ve put together a few ideas to help calm everyone down and get things back to normal once exam season has passed. Parents, you can thank us later!

Celebrate with friends

As much as we’d like to think our children only want to spend time with us, the fact is they’re probably going to want to celebrate with their mates first – so don’t enforce family time upon them straight away! Arrange a party or get together for their friends so they can let their hair down after all their hard work, and you’ll get some serious parent points.

Have a special family dinner

Once they’ve got that out of their system, host a special family dinner where you can all share a toast to the student’s hard efforts. This could be at your home or at their favourite restaurant; the only thing that really matters is that the whole family are together and that they get to indulge in their favourite foods!

Take a road trip

Go somewhere, anywhere! Fill up the petrol tank, pack a picnic, wind the windows down, turn the radio up, and head off somewhere new and it could be a nearby town, a woodland, a lake or even the seaside. Being out on the open road will give them a new sense of freedom, and exploring the unknown is sure to take their mind off that one exam question they just couldn’t answer!

Get outside

It really is amazing what a bit of fresh air can do for the soul – especially if they’ve been cooped up in the library for weeks on end. Fresh air not only boosts our immune system, but it literally energises us and a study in the Journal of Environmental Psychology found that being surrounded by nature increases energy levels in 90% of people! What’s more, the smell of flowers and trees has been found to improve our mood, reduce anxiety and decrease stress levels.

Have a family day out at Go Ape!

If you feel like you’ve hardly seen your little bookworm while they’ve been studying, it’s important to re-connect as a family and while having fun, of course! Get the whole family to take part in a challenging activity – such as a Go Ape Tree Top Adventure – and you’ll re-establish your bonds as you climb across nets, swing from ropes, and cross bridges at epic heights. The grand zip-wire finale at the end will leave you all with a big, adrenaline-fuelled rush that they’ll talk about for weeks!

Fancy a private screening of THE LEGEND OF TARZAN (in cinemas July 6), with up to 50 of your tribe simply enter below and you could win this legendary prize!

It has been years since the man once known as Tarzan (Skarsgård) left the jungles of Africa behind for a gentrified life as John Clayton, Lord Greystoke, with his beloved wife, Jane (Robbie) at his side. Now, he has been invited back to the Congo to serve as a trade emissary of Parliament, unaware that he is a pawn in a deadly convergence of greed and revenge, masterminded by the Belgian, Leon Rom (Waltz). But those behind the murderous plot have no idea what they are about to unleash.

·The competition is open to all UK residents, excluding households of employees Go Ape, Warner Bros, their agents or anyone professionally associated with this promotion.

·Closing date for entries is 7th July 2016

·To enter visit blog.goape.co.uk

·The main prize is one private screening of The Legend Of Tarzan for the winner and up to 50 guests, at a local cinema.

·Prize can only be redeemed outside of the cinema’s peak showing times and weekends showings may not be possible.

·Prize is subject to cinema’s availability and winner must be able to provide at least 2 local cinema options.

·Film certification restrictions apply.

·Entrants must supply a UK daytime phone number and a valid email address. Once the first drawn winner has been contacted they will have 5 days to respond to the correspondence. If we have not heard back by then we will assume the prize has been forfeited and another will be drawn and so on and so forth until all the winners have been found.

·No cash alternative is available; prizes are non-transferable and non-refundable.

·Any extra costs incurred other than those stated are the sole responsibility of the winner.

·Warner Bros cannot be held responsible if the screening is cancelled or details changed due to unforeseen circumstances which are beyond their control.

·All prizes are subject to availability; if prize cannot be honoured then a prize of the same perceived value will be supplied.

·By entering this competition, winners agree to their names being published on digital and social media communications for promotional purposes.

·By entering this prize draw, entrants will be deemed to have accepted and agreed to be bound by the conditions.

·The judge’s decision is final and no correspondence shall be entered into.

How many times have you swung with us? Once? Twice? Ten times? More!? Maybe you’re a self-confessed serial swinger who’s simply lost count of all those tree-top trips!

Every day, we welcome a mix of newbies and seasoned pros through our forest doors. First-timers arrive eager to get their first true taste of the high life, while regulars clamber up into the trees with one thing in mind: perfecting their Tarzan skills.

We must admit, it’s great watching people go bananas over our Tree Top Adventures – smirking as they wobble across bridges, hollering as they leap from platforms, and laughing as they whizz down zip wires. It confirms to us that we’ve succeeded in our mission, which is, to open people’s eyes to the fun that can be had when they live their lives more adventurously!

If you’ve visited us on numerous occasions and know your local course like the back of your hand, why not set yourself a new, forest-themed challenge?

How does a two-wheeled adventure with a down-to-earth twist sound!?

You’ve explored the forest canopy, so now’s your chance to explore the forest floor via our rugged, all-terrain Segways! Instead of balancing on ropes, you’ll be balancing on two wheels as you roll, lean, twist and turn your way through the forest, weaving in and out of the trees as you go!

Our Forest Segway Experience is proving to be a mega hit with our customers, many of whom decided to try it out after embarking on a Tree Top Adventure. It’s a great way to extend your day out at Go Ape, and it also gives you a good excuse to visit us again!

A Tree Top Adventure grants you a bird’s eye view of the forest; and if you’ve been-there-done-that, you’ll know how awesome it is from the top. On the other hand, a Segway Experience fully immerses you in the forest – you’ll be surrounded by its sounds, smells and sights.

With spring in full swing, it couldn’t be a better time to explore the forest. As you cruise around on your Segway – navigating both simple pathways and tricky trails – you’ll hear bees buzzing and birds chirping in their nests. You’ll roll past patches of brightly-coloured flowers, which you’ll smell before you see. And you might even catch a glimpse of one the many species of wildlife that call the forest home, whether it’s a squirrel scurrying up a tree or a rabbit grazing close to its warren.

A Forest Segway Experience includes a safety demo from one of the tribe, a practise session (for us to make sure you’ve nailed the art of Segway balancing), plus a totally unforgettable trail experience all for just £35. Oh, you’ll also have a certificate ready and waiting for you when you pull up to Segway base!

It’s official, our Go Ape team has conquered the Three Peaks Yacht Race!

After setting sail last Saturday (11th June) the team has been battling their way against their fellow competitors, the elements and shall we say, a few technical troubles…all to cross the finish line at 6:30am this morning.

The monumental journey encompassed 389 miles of sailing, 72 miles of running and 18 miles of cycling and took our tremendous tribe approx. four days and 16 hours to complete.

We’re amazingly proud of Jerome Mayhew, Paul Love-Williams and Tris Mayhew for successfully sailing 62 sea miles from Barmouth to Caernarfon, 100 sea miles from Caernarfon to Whitehaven and a further staggering 227 sea miles from Whitehaven to Fort William – as well a few stops in between.

Not stopping at a broken impeller drive the crew also had to get creative once again after the yacht exhaust melted before coming into Whitehaven.

The kindness of strangers at the port meant the crew could continue after ‘borrowing’ some flexible piping. By cutting off the melted in/out section of piping and ingeniously gaffer-taping new sections together, coupled with a bit of lubrication from some washing up liquid the team was ready to set of again in search of adventure (and the next team to beat).

Coming out of Whitehaven the team made great progress hurling along against the current for four hours straight. On four occasions the rudder lost its grip keeping the crew on their toes. Yet, against the unseasonably brisk June winds, the yacht averaged around 14 knots, a solid speed for a 30ft boat!

Let’s not forget the other heroes from one of the UK’s toughest endurance races, the devoted runners, Ed Smith and Mick Rimmer.

We have been in awe of their perseverance as they’ve charged up the three highest peaks in Wales, England and Scotland. The stalwart runners not only had to experience hours upon hours of rumbling around in the cabin whilst at sea (an encounter I’m told that is much like spinning around in a washing machine!), they also had to adapt to ever-changing timescales, which meant running through the night…

Arriving at the final peak, Ben Nevis, at around midnight Ed and Mick ran through the early hours to cross the finish line at 6:30am, much to the joy of the team and everyone at Go Ape. Combining the distance of Mt. Snowdon, Scafell Pike and Ben Nevis their running efforts equated to running three marathons in as many days across some of the trickiest terrain the UK has to offer.

Now we patiently wait for the Three Peaks Yacht Race to officially announce the positions for the finalists. A superb achievement by a team that truly eats, sleeps and breathes the Go Ape way of life.

After speaking with a, quite rightfully, elated Jerome Mayhew, here’s a few words from the Skipper himself:

It was an intense, amazing experience – we just had to keep going! Our competitors were world-class and whilst we’re a fairly novice team in comparison we couldn’t be more delighted with the result. Some moments were incredibly challenging but when things go wrong you just have to turn I can’t into I can, and that’s what we did.

On asking whether Jerome would do it all again:

Without a shadow of a doubt.

Of course the team were racing for more than just the challenge, they were racing to help raise money for the Outward Bound Trust.

Your support will help change the life of a young person from a disadvantaged background. For every £200 raised, another young person is able to experience the challenge of an Outward Bound course. To find out more about the trust, visit https://www.outwardbound.org.uk/.

Please donate to support the tribe as they embark on one of toughest adventure races, just head to our Virgin Money Giving page.

We’ll be keeping the blog updated with first-hand tales from the race, including how they coped with 37.9 knot gales! Perhaps we’ll give them the weekend to recover first…